Indigos and Autism

Over the past couple of days, I've been having an email exchange with my parents about the "Indigo child" phenomenon. They apparently saw a film about it, and decided to ask me about it... because I tend to be the one in the family that knows about "all that weird stuff".

Actually, I haven't given it a whole lot of thought. I don't have any children. Have never raised any children either (but I was one once, and I've met a few). I never really felt that my opinion on the matter would have any weight.

I have been 'accused' of being an Indigo, and after thinking about it, I didn't really take it as a compliment.

Here's why:

They come into the world with a feeling of royalty (and often act like it)

They have a feeling of "deserving to be here," and are surprised when others don't share that.

Self-worth is not a big issue. They often tell the parents "who they are."

They have difficulty with absolute authority without explanation or choice).

They simply will not do certain things; for example, waiting in line is difficult for them.

They get frustrated with systems that are ritually oriented and don't require creative thought.

They often see better ways of doing things, both at home and in school, which makes them seem like "system busters" (nonconforming to any system).

They seem antisocial unless they are with their own kind. If there are no others of like consciousness around them, they often turn inward, feeling like no other human understands them. School is often extremely difficult for them socially.

They will not respond to "guilt" discipline ("Wait till your father gets home and finds out what you did").

They are not shy in letting you know what they need.

This is one of the most common lists of traits.
To me, it sounds like a child who has been raised by T.V. (hence the "old eyes")and video games. They have the attention span of a gnat. They expect instant gratification.They are poorly socialized and haven't learned to share. They are indulged to the point of truly believing they are the center of the universe, so they haven't learned to cooperate and make the compromises that are part of being in a social "team".

At least those would seem like a reasonable explanation for all the traits on this list.

I'm a big fan of Occam's Razor:

This is often paraphrased as "All things being equal, the simplest solution tends to be the best one." In other words, when multiple competing theories are equal in other respects, the principle recommends selecting the theory that introduces the fewest assumptions and postulates the fewest hypothetical entities. (from wikipedia)

I don't think that a 'leap in human evolution' is needed to explain why children being raised in a dramatically different technological, sensory, and social environment from their parents might act a little different than parents did at the same age.

That being said, there is also an electromagnetic environment that may be worth considering in the phenomenon.
Some of the Indigo traits have been compared to Autism Spectrum traits, and it is true that autism rates seem to be rising. A criticism of this has been that the testing is better now, and more traits are recognized....but if this is true, where are all the autistic adults?

As I understand it, autism doesn't tend to clear up spontaneously.

There is a type of Neurofeedback called LENS (Low Energy Neurofeedback) that uses very weak electromagnetic pulses to carry the biofeedback signal back to the subject. Most people respond to a couple of seconds of per session. The situation is different with autistic subjects they may require much more feedback before they show a response...as much as several minutes of feedback signal per session.

See:
http://www.neuro-muscular.com/glossary.htm
for a brief description or,
http://ochslabs.com
for more detailed information about LENS

I want to propose a hypothesis for the increase in autism based on this observation.

The background electromagnetic soup that we live in has increased massively, a thousandfold, in a few short years.
Cellphones and wireless networks are now part of our ecology. The current generation of small children were gestated, and probably conceived, within a few feet of a cellphone, and have been immersed in a sea of wireless networks since birth.

LENS has demonstrated how remarkably sensitive our nervous systems can be to tiny radio frequency signals...the feedback signal that LENS emits is a tiny fraction of the output that is produced by that cellphone in your pocket, but can measurably change brainwave amplitudes with only a couple seconds of exposure.

Could it be that the increase in autism is an attempt by a developing nervous system to adapt to the cacophony of background RF that is now part of our environment?

There is something about an autistic brain that makes it resistant to low level LENS type stimulation, Is it also more resistant to the electromagnetic soup that we live in?

Is it physiological response; an attempt at a functional adaptation?

In that sense it could be considered "evolutionary" but more in a Lamarckian sense than in a Darwinian sense.

If this is the case, then perhaps the Autism-like Indigo traits are a step in evolution, but maybe not exactly what the more mystical of the New Agers are looking for.

Solitons and cognition

Since the the ice storm given me a chance to catch up on reading, I've been taking a deeper look at a couple of websites.

Minds, Brains & Catalysis:
A theory of cognition grounded in metabolism

http://www.psy.cmu.edu:16080/~davia/mbc/index.html


The Geometry of Anatomy – the Bones of Tensegrity

http://www.intensiondesigns.com/itd-biotensegrity/biotensegrity/papers/geometry_of_anatomy.html


The physical models used to explain intent, motion, anatomy, and perception are evolving at a dizzying speed. But then, what isn't?

We are living at the edge...of something. Of a major shift. This is the first time in history of humanity that there is no real projection of what the world will be like in 50 years.

Our views of time and space are shifting. Distance has lost almost all relevance in commerce, communication, or access to knowledge.

National borders seem to be on the way to becoming anachronisms.

Even language itself is no longer a significant barrier, at least in elecronic communications.

In ways we are becoming amazingly wealthy in terms of access to technology. Yesterday I saw a pocket camera for $2.50, the packaging included a thumb-size AM/FM radio as a free gift if you purchased the $2.50 camera.

Look at this in terms of the cost in labor for an average person.
It is less than a half hour's labor for someone making minimum wage.

25 years ago, if the technology in these items even existed, it probably would have taken someone making much more than minimum wage several days of labor to afford these items, at least.

Yet in this worlld of phenomenal access, wealth and technology, we have more stress than ever. We are aging faster. Our diets are poorer. We are more obese. We can't seem to afford adequate health care. Many can't afford health insurance. We don't have time to take care of ourselves properly.

what is the problem here?

Al Gore owes me a set of snow tires

The last couple of days have destroyed my faith in Al Gore. I didn't put snow tires on my truck because I believed in Al Gore.

I didn't buy that coastal property in Florida because of Al Gore and Global Warming.

IF AL GORE IS READING THIS, I WOULD APPRECIATE IT IF HE WOULD SEND ME A SET OF SNOW TIRES.

On the plus side, I have been able to catch up on my reading. I certainly haven't had any business.

The world outside the window is all sparkly, the bush next to the window is glazed like a doughnut ...that has been gently dusted with powdered sugar...
I REALLY need to make a trip to the grocery store. I didn't stock up for the storm, the world is a sheet of ice....AND MY TRUCK DOESN'T HAVE ANY FREAKIN' SNOW TIRES!


I just got through playing with the new digital camera that Jill got for Christmas. I carried it with me while I walked to the grocery store.

It takes pretty good pictures.
Does anyones have Al Gore's email address?
I'll attach the images to the email that I'll be sending him.

;-)

Tensegrity and back pain

Today I spent a bit of time on the aikido-L mailing list ( http://www.aikido-l.org ) discussing movement, tensegrity and back pain.

I think the section on back pain is relevent to the blog...actually, a lot of the movement stuff is as well. Much of my knowledge of movement, and my approach to movement therapy is based on aikido and Judo.

Feldenkrais based much of his system on Judo principles, so I guess I'm not in bad company.

Here is what posted to the email list:

>Lately I've been doing a lot of hands-on work with people with back
injuries.
What I've found is that if you treat the vertebral column and associated
myofascia as a tensegrity structure rather than a stack of blocks, people
recover more quickly from injuries, and suffer fewer chronic residual
effects from their injury. They also move more lightly with better posture,
and often gain an inch in height.

There are definite, real world, macro-structure applications.

For example:

Low back pain and bulging discs in the lumbar region.

Traditionally the bulging discs were viewed as the creating the pain due to
nerve entrapment. The traditional treatment approach has been surgical
removal of the disk...with a low enough success rate that "Failed Back
Surgery Syndrome" has become an actual medical diagnosis.

If you view the back as a tensegrity structure rather than a stack of
articulating blocks or a tent pole, the situation changes.
The bulging disk become a *symptom* of inappropriate tensions that have been
distributed across, and compressed the entire structure. The pain itself can
usually be explained and treated in terms of myofascial referral patterns,
also a symptom of inappropriate structural tensions.

If the tensions are correctly balanced, the bodies of the vertebrae will
actually lift off of each other, and minimal pressure will be exerted on the
intervertebral discs.
Range of motion improves, along with improvements in balance and
proprioception. Since the tensions throughout the structure have been
reduced, and the structure has actually lengthened (This is one of the
characteristics of a tensegrity structure, tighten one aspect, the entire
structure constricts, loosen any aspect, and the overall structure expands),
motion is more fluid and resilient.

It seems blatantly obvious when you look at it in retrospect. The vertebral
bodies are composed of light spongy bone, they aren't designed to be load
bearing. The bony projections (spinous and transverse processes, neural
arch) are dense, strong, compact bone. These bony processes are the load
bearing members. They are the rigid components floating within the
tensegrity structure. The intervetebral disks can be viewed as similar to
the bumpers on your car...there if needed, but not really intended for
load-bearing.

A simple shift in paradigms, a huge potential difference in the quality of
life of someone with chronic back issues.

Of course, if you had brought this up twenty years ago, it would have been
considered preposterous...after all,the mechanical models that were in place
at the time adequately described all the motions of the spine. (And from a
certain perspective, they still do) >>

If you aren't familar with the concept of a tensegrity structure, here is a good site:

http://www.anatomytrains.com/explore/tensegrity/explained

This is on Tom Myers' site. Myers is a phenomenal writer and lecturer, as well as a direct student of Ida Rolf, Buckminster Fuller, and Moshe Feldenkrais.

I strongly reccomend that anyone interested in the topics discussed here take a look at his material.

Reply to Cynthia and New Hope

Thanks for the comments folks, and sorry about the slow reply. I've been on the road a lot the last couple of days.

Cynthia,

Are you in Pittsburgh?
What kind of practice do you have?

I'm planning on keeping a running commentary of the happenings here, with images...assuming I can develop a reasonable degree of skill web publishing skills. This is the first blog that I've ever set up.

New Hope,

You mention a whiplash injury, could you provide a little more detail?
When did the injury happen? And what was injured?
What was the angle of impact and which way were you facing?
You have mentioned back surgery...what type of surgery has been proposed?
What are your current symptoms and pain patterns?

Let's start with that, let me build a better picture of what is going on with you.

email me if you don't want to discuss this in a public forum.

Triggerpoints@verizon.net

Since I don't know much about you yet, or your condition I'll just make a few general comments about whiplash injuries.

One aspect that tends to be overlooked, after the shift from the "acute injury" stage to the "chronic condition" stage, are the changes that occur in the nervous system as a result of the injury.

The high amplitude, noxious, neural impulses from the injury can have profound central effects.

The pain can cause an imbalance in the autonomic nervous system, keeping your body in a "fight or flight mode".

In "fight or flight" mode (a shift toward Sympathetic nervous system dominance), blood pressure is up, breathing patterns change, peripheral blood vessels constrict, stress hormones such as cortisol are released, digestion slows, sleep becomes lest restful. Your body is stuck in an "emergency response". This can be benefit during an actual crisis...but your body can't function effectively long term in this condition.

During an emergency, your body is tryng to maximize the mobilization of resources...cutting loose energy to burn. It isn't important to be building muscle, healing, or absorbing nutrients while, for example, a tiger is chasing you. What is important is freeing up nutrients to burn as energy.

The other side of this phenomena is the effect of Parasympathetic nervous system dominance.
This is the "rest, digest, and recover" branch of the Autonomic nervous system.

Normally, your body shifts back and forth between a parasympathetic state and a sympathetic state in a slow tide-like flow. Exertion...relaxation......tension...release...contraction....extension.

There is a balanced rhythm, just like in any other healthy physiological process. Just like the the balanced inhale-exhale of breathing, and the sleep wake cycle.

If your body becomes stuck in a state of sympathetic activation, you can't heal properly, you can't rest properly, you can't digest and absorb nutrients properly. This can lead to a wide variety of issues...including depression and exhaustion, as well as exacerbating existing pain issues. It is common for the perception of pain to change from localized pain to widespread, diffuse body pains. Immune reponses can be lowered.

Some people even experience disruption of endocrine functions. As your body attempts to compensate for this altered autonomic state, thyroid function may be inhibited. it isn't uncommon for people to gain a significant amount of weight after a whiplash type injury, even though diet and activity levels may not have changed significantly.

Fortunately, there are manual techniques and exercises that can help restore function in the damaged myofascia and calm the innapropriate nervous impulses.

Here is a good article on the theory behind the techiques:

http://www.neuro-muscular.com/Part2.pdf


In my opinion, however, the most exciting results in the treatment of the chronic effects of whiplash are coming from the field of neurofeedback, and it seems that myofascial bodywork amplifies the effect of the neurofeedback

This article focuses on post traumatic fibromyalgia, but there is a lot in it that applies to whiplash in general:

http://www.fmpartnership.org/Files/Website2005/Learn%20About%20Fibromyalgia/Articles/Neurotherapy%20Treatment%20of%20Fibromyalgia.htm

I hope something here is useful to you.


If you provide me with a few more details, I may be able to provide you with some information that is more specific to your condition.

And if you are in the area, feel free to stop by and visit. There is no charge for a consultation.


Wiley

The Start

Hello,

This is the first actual post on the PNMT blog. You might notice that the skeleton on the page doesn't have any muscles..or nerves, so you may wonder what it has to do with Neuro-muscular therapy.

Actually, it is just one of my favorite drawings. It is by Vesalius, whose antomical drawings are wonderfully accurate, and much more interesting than most of the dry, academic modern anatomical drawings. It is also appropriate for the mood of starting a new blog.

where do you start with a new blog?

You feel a bit naked..there is no topic and precedent for the discussion.

I feel sorta like the skeleton in the drawing.

Well, let's get started.

The website for PNMT is neuro-muscular.com. Check it out.
Come by my office if you are in Pittsburgh. If you have pain, we can probably make you feel better.

no...seriously.

There are some phenomenal manual techniques out there for pain relief that are well documented scientifically, and are simple to demonstrate and learn, but for some reason, few people in the U.S. utilize them.

Perhaps it is a matter of economics, I mean, if I were a physician who was getting compensated the same for an office visit whether he spent an hour with the patient or 5 minutes, I could understand the temptation to simply write a prescription and move on to the next patient.
You can see an awful lot of patients in a day that way.

If you are performing manual, manipulative techniques, it takes a bit more time, it takes more refined palpation skills. You can't see as many people. It probably isn't as good a business model.

But I've come to the conclusion that the healthcare system in the US is broken. It's not working, we are one of, if not the, unhealthiest, most overweight of all the developed countries. (I guess the "overweight and "developed" part go hand in hand..but that's digressing)

The fact is that we are very unhealthy, poorly nourished, and over medicated. We have the most expensive healthcare in the world and the worst health.

What's the problem?

Life expectancies are going up, but how much "life" is being added to the span?

One thing I've noticed, from a bit of wandering around in "undeveloped and poor" areas of Central America, is that the elderly look different than they do in the US. There is certainly no shortage of them there. Maybe you see a larger percentage of the because they are outside and busy doing stuff. They are more alert, fitter, more active, more coordinated, and amazingly unmedicated compared to the US.

If you don't believe me, go take a look and compare. The elderly in the US look like zombies in comparison.

They are stiff, clumsy, have shuffling gaits, flat expressions, hard inflexible bodies, inflexible minds?

What's wrong?

We have a graying population in the US, and the population isn't aging gracefully.

Why is it that the areas without the "advanced" healthcare that we have in the US look so much better?

Comments?

Opinions?

Wiley